


Burnt Toast

by liddie



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Not Related, Boys Kissing, Durincest, Humor, M/M, Oneshot, cute idiots being cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-20
Updated: 2015-01-20
Packaged: 2018-03-08 00:29:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3188990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liddie/pseuds/liddie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>inspired by this AU list prompt: "Every time you cook you set off the smoke alarm so you know what I’m just going to teach you how to cook."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Burnt Toast

**Author's Note:**

  * For [goldenlionprince](https://archiveofourown.org/users/goldenlionprince/gifts).



> For [Lina](http://goldenlionprince.tumblr.com) because you help me more than you know every single day and because I know you like first kisses and idiot boys ;) 
> 
> I saw this on a few AU lists and it just wouldn't leave me alone. I hope it's a bit of light and easy fun for you to read through :)

 

* * *

 

Fíli sighs when he hears smoke alarm goes off. _Again_. For the second time this week.

After a few minutes it shuts off and doesn't activate the one for the entire building to evacuate, he’d already gone through that last week. He can hear the alarm loudly through his wall and a bit of banging around in his neighbour’s place, muted curses that he can just barely make out.

His neighbour isn’t the best at cooking and he hasn't been since he moved in last month. At _least_ once a week the smoke alarm goes off and sometimes Fíli truly wonders if the guy knows how to cook at all.

The tall brunet looked capable enough with his smiles and little waves whenever they had passed or seen each other in the hallway, but Fíli thinks that maybe he had been wrong with his first impression.

When Kíli had introduced himself it seemed like nothing in the world could get him down, something Fíli admired and found very charming. The younger man (only by two years, mind you) had that infectious sort of happiness that followed him around and most of the time Fíli couldn't help but smile when he saw him. He couldn't deny the attraction he felt to the other man but they hadn’t really gotten the chance to know each other too well so he keeps that to himself.

Shaking his head a bit and looking over at the clock Fíli decides that it must be breakfast this time, seeing as it’s only ten in the morning. Rarely is the other man even up before then so breakfast fits nicely.

Getting up Fíli moves to head down the hallway toward his bedroom for his reading glasses but when he passes the door he hears his neighbour open his and a soft mumble come from the hall. With peaked interest Fíli opens his front door and looks out, watching as Kíli carries a baking sheet over to the open balcony that overlooks a little courtyard down below.

On the metal sheet are three pieces of what could have been toast but now looks like black bricks, the brunet freezing when he notices Fíli. “Oh, hey,” he smiles while trying to hide the contents of the baking sheet, glancing away and tossing them over the side so maybe the desperate ducks and birds will attempt to get rid of the evidence. “Good morning.”

“Good morning. Everything okay?” Leaning in the doorway Fíli doesn't mind the warm breeze that drifts down one end of the open hallway to the other. It’s actually very warm out and he makes a mental note to open his window.

“Sure, everything’s fine. Just a bit of a mishap with breakfast.” Shifting the sheet Kíli tucks it under his arm, bringing a hand up to brush his long hair back. “Oh, I’m sorry. I hope I didn't wake you up.” His face is worried now and Fíli instantly misses the smile.

Shaking his head the blond waves him off. “I’ve been up for a while now, it’s fine. Do you need help with anything?”

With one last glance down at his ruined breakfast Kíli steps away from the balcony and walks over to his door, his usual sunny demeanour a bit dim. “Oh no, I’m okay. I was going to have toast but it got a bit too dark for me so I’ll have cereal instead. I’m pretty sure I have milk.”

Fíli wonders why he needed a baking sheet to make toast but he bites his lip and doesn't ask. Kíli’s cheeks are a bit pink already and he doesn't want to embarrass the other man on accident. “I have some, if you need it.”

The offer seems to perk Kíli up a little and he smiles. “If it’s not too much trouble I might need to borrow just a bit, I had cereal for dinner and I think I used the last of it.”

_‘Which explains why the evening had been smoke alarm free,’_ Fíli thinks to himself.

“Sure, let me go get you some.” He smiles when Kíli nods, walking back into his apartment and to the kitchen. He pours the milk into his largest glass and carries it back out into the hallway. Kíli has gotten rid of his baking sheet and he looks so excited about a cup of milk. “Here you go.”

“Thanks a lot, Fíli. I’ll buy you a gallon on my way home from work,” the brunet promises as he takes the milk, making sure not to spill it.

Fíli shakes his head and smiles at the other’s obvious excitement. “There’s no need for that, I’ll just come borrow a cup from you someday and we’ll be even.”

Kíli seems to think about this for a minute and then nods. “Sure, that sounds great.”

They talk for a few more minutes and then go back into their own apartments, Kíli to have his cereal and get ready for work and Fíli to finish his coffee and the crossword puzzle he had started in the newspaper.

After about ten minutes he can hear Kíli banging around through the walls and then the sound of a door slamming and footsteps hurrying down the hall, Fíli smiling into his mug and wondering just when was the exact moment he began falling for his neighbour.

* * *

 

Over the course of the next seven days Kíli’s smoke alarm goes off three times and one evening Fíli decides it’s time to do something about it.

They had run into each other after the first time and Kíli had explained to the blond that he was going to start trying new things, already apologizing for the alarm even if Fíli waved him off. After the third time Fíli had noticed Kíli’s bright spirits a bit dimmed when he had caught him coming in as he himself was leaving, bags of microwavable food and a pizza in his arms.

Instead of stopping to chat Kíli had hurried into his apartment with pink cheeks, as if he didn't want Fíli to see the result of his obvious failures in the kitchen.

That evening Fíli brought it up with his friend over their weekly meal together, Bard laughing and nearly choking on his pasta when he heard the stories.

“He had toast on a baking sheet?” Reaching for his glass of water Bard takes a drink to calm himself, unable to stop grinning. “That’s some crush you have there, Durin. Clearly that guy needs help.”

“I don't have a crush on him,” Fíli denied pointlessly and stabbed his ravioli a bit harder than he wanted, ignoring his blush. Bard had just grinned knowingly and ordered them both a large slice of cheesecake to get Fíli to tell him everything.

The dinner had been nice and Bard hadn’t laughed too much, though his words had sparked an idea and the next day Fíli had finished up a bit of work in the morning and went to the grocery store in the afternoon. Thirty minutes and four grocery bags later he stood outside Kíli’s door waiting for it to be answered, hoping this wasn't a completely weird thing to do.

When the door opens he gives the brunet a smile. “Hey, got plans for the rest of the day?” It’s a bit of a gamble to do this unannounced but he knows Kíli doesn't work today and usually experiments with cooking when he has free time.

Kíli blinks owlishly and shakes his head, moving aside for Fíli to step into the apartment. “W-what’s all this?”

“I thought we could cook something together,” Fíli says as he heads into the little kitchen, exactly like his own only flipped. Kíli’s looks a bit bare compared to his but the brunet has only been here a month whereas Fíli’s been living here for a few years now. There are a few appliances and utensils about in the kitchen and the blond decides that anything they might need that’s not here he can just grab from his place within a few seconds. “And maybe I can teach you a few things.”

“You…” Kíli follows after he’s shut the door, rubbing at his eyes as if he can’t believe it. He’s wearing a too big sweatshirt and flannel pajama pants, which is a bit odd for the warm weather outside. His hair is tied up in a messy bun and he really just looks like he rolled out of bed five minutes ago. “You want to teach me to cook?”

“Why not? I learned from my friend Bard and it was fun for the both of us.” Fíli gives Kíli a smile and when he gets a nod he starts to unpack the bags onto the counter, pausing after a few moments. “Unless you have plans, I don’t want to interrupt anything. This can always wait.”

“No no, I don't have plans.” Kíli hurries to reassure him and walks over to look at the groceries being unloaded. “What are we going to make?”

Unpacking the last bag Fíli turns to offer a smile. “Well, what would you like? I’ve got some vegetables, pasta, and a few different kinds of meat… I bought tofu in case you—” Fíli cuts off with a laugh when he sees Kíli’s nose wrinkle up. “Okay, no tofu. I don't like it either. How about chicken alfredo? Or a stir-fry?”

Kíli’s face lights up and he turns bright eyes to the blond’s. “Stir-fry?”

He looks like such an excited puppy that Fíli thinks if he had a tail it would be wagging. “Sure, making stir-fry is pretty easy.” Separating out the ingredients they need Fíli helps Kíli put the others away and explains a few options that they can be used for at another time.

“Okay, just tell me what to do,” Kíli says as he lifts his sweatshirt up and off, the blond catching a glimpse of dark ink on the tanned skin of Kíli’s hip before his t-shirt settles over it. He tries not to blush and sets a cutting board in front of an eager chef-in-training.

“Can you chop the vegetables? There’s an onion, a few peppers and some broccoli to start.” When Kíli nods eagerly Fíli holds up a package of chicken and one of beef. “Which kind of meat would you like?”

“Hmm, maybe the beef?”

“Good choice,” Fíli says as he puts the chicken into the refrigerator and sets about slicing up the beef into thin strips. “You can use the chicken for the alfredo.”

Kíli nods as he concentrates on his peppers, cutting them into small chunks as Fíli had directed. The onion comes next and they share a laugh when Kíli can’t stop crying. “I’m sorry,” he laughs as he washes his hands, Fíli finishing it up and only getting a bit teary eyed. They manage to get through it and with a new cutting board and a clean knife Kíli starts on the other vegetables, a grin on his lips.

Once he’s finished with all the vegetables he sets them aside to watch and learn as Fíli shows him how to make a sauce. The rice gets made next and they let it cook while talking about anything and everything. Kíli tells the blond about the teasing that he gets at the bookshop for his lack of culinary skills how he can’t wait to tell his co-workers about this, Fíli offering up that his friend works in a restaurant so that gives him a slight advantage with cooking.

In the end Fíli only has to pop into his own place to grab a bigger pan to cook everything in, the two of them taking turns shake around the meat and vegetables as they cook and come together. While their meal is finishing up Kíli goes over to the refrigerator to find something for them to drink.

“Okay, I have to ask.” Fíli says as he takes the offered beer from Kíli. “The other day when you threw that burnt toast out, why was it on a baking sheet?”

The brunet blushes and sets his bottle down so he can bury his face in his hands, a little groan slipping out around his smile. “I don’t have a toaster so tried to make toast in the oven, under the broiler.” He peeks out at Fíli, embarrassed. “But I went to brush my teeth and I forgot about it.”

Fíli can’t help but laugh and Kíli soon joins in, the two of them nearly doubling over because they’re laughing so hard. Kíli recovers enough to check the stir-fry, giving it a shake as Fíli wipes at the corners of his eyes. “I’m sorry, it’s not—I’m not laughing at you.”

“I’m laughing at me.” The younger man laughs as he waves the blond off, pulling the pan from the heat with a smile. “Do you think it’s done?” He looks so hopeful and his cheeks are pink from laughing, Fíli’s eyes flicking down to his lips for a few seconds.

“Yeah,” the blond says without looking at the meal, Kíli noticing and shifting his attention from the food to Fíli. The tip of his tongue slips out to wet his lips and they both lean a bit closer.

Their first kiss is nothing but a light brush of lips, Kíli’s chapped but warm against Fíli’s own. It’s like testing the waters and after a few careful brushes the younger man tilts his head, Fíli mirroring the movement and kissing him back.

It lasts only a few moments but when they pull away they both have smiles and lightly flushed cheeks. They stare at each other for a bit and then laugh, Kíli leaning back as Fíli straightens and runs a hand through his hair.

“I like cooking with you,” Kíli declares with a grin. “We should do this more often.”

“You haven’t even tasted the food,” Fíli points out with a smile, leaning his hip against the counter. “What if I’m a decent kisser but the food leaves something to be desired?”

Reaching up into the cupboard for a pair of plates Kíli shakes his head. “The food will be great. I had a lot of fun cooking it with you _and_ the smoke alarm didn’t go off so that’s a big plus.” Setting the plates down on the counter he takes a step closer to Fíli and smiles. “But there’s always cereal and ordering pizza, if we don’t want to cook at another time.”

When Fíli laughs his dimples really show and Kíli finds himself leaning down for another kiss, all shyness gone as warm hands settle on his hips and they both smile into the affection.


End file.
